UH Manoa school to fete honorees during October 29 luncheon at Hawai'i Convention Center

The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa School of Travel Industry Management (TIM), its International Alumni Association and the Hawai‘i Hospitality Hall of Fame will be celebrating the achievements of six tourism pioneers and two TIM distinguished alumni at the annual “Celebrate a Legacy in Tourism" luncheon, set for 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on October 29, 2009, at the Hawai‘i Convention Center.

Three ground-breaking hoteliers, a legendary entertainer and two airline pioneers—who each helped shape Hawai‘i tourism—will be inducted into the Hawai‘i Hospitality Hall of Fame at the event. Distinguished TIM graduates Audrey Higuchi and Alan Ong Huck Chye will also be honored.

Higuchi (TIM 1979) owns a well-established media representative firm in Hawai‘i. Ong Huck Chye (CBA/TIM 1973) is senior vice president and general manager for Hotel Equatorial Kuala Lumpur, and oversees six hotels across Asia. Both were chosen for their professional achievements as well as their contributions to the TIM program and their communities.

Before the 11:30 a.m. luncheon, there will be an 11:15 a.m. blessing and unveiling of the newly installed Hawai‘i Hospitality Hall of Fame on the fourth floor of the Convention Center. The luncheon event will begin with a silent auction to benefit the TIM International Alumni Association, and will feature a variety of travel-related items for bid.

The new Hall of Fame inductees join 31 other individuals who were previously selected for the recognition. “Our six honorees each played a significant role in the evolution of Hawai‘i ’s tourism industry as a world leader,” said Robert Herkes, chairman of the Hawai‘i Hospitality Hall of Fame Board of Trustees, and former senior executive with InterIsland Resorts. “Their careers were distinguished by their accomplishments as well as for the spirit of aloha they showed to our island communities and visitors.”

The 2009 inductees are:

o Alfred Apaka the legendary “Golden Voice of Hawai‘i .” He began his career with Don McDiarmid’s orchestra at the Royal Hawaiian. He was a featured singer on the Hawai‘i Calls radio broadcasts and performed with the Moana Serenaders at the Moana Hotel. Apaka is best remembered for his performances in the Hawaiian Village Hotel’s Tapa Room. Bob Hope discovered him at Don the Beachcomber’s, which led to national television exposure for both Apaka’s golden voice and Hawai‘i tourism.

o Stan Kennedy Jr. was a third-generation kama‘āina who played a role in the development of aviation in the Pacific. Born in 1921, he was the son of Stanley C. Kennedy Sr., who founded and ran Inter-Island Airways, which became Hawaiian Airlines. He joined the airline in 1946 as a mechanics helper, and rose to vice president of sales in 1966. Kennedy later joined Continental Airlines and became vice president of Pacific operations and director of Air Micronesia.

o Ruddy Tongg founded Trans-Pacific Airlines in 1946, which was renamed Aloha Airlines in 1958. He started the airline right after World War II because, during the war years, it had been difficult to get neighbor island flights unless you were in the military. He dubbed the carrier “the people’s airline,” with discounts for local families. Later, Tongg asked Hung Wo Ching to help him manage the airline, and Ching bought a sizeable stake in the company.

o Fred Dailey, with his wife and business partner Elizabeth, developed the spectacular Waikikian Hotel in 1956 followed by the Tahitian Lanai, a landmark of the Waikīkī restaurant scene. The family also opened the smaller Driftwood hotel. Dailey led an active social life, playing polo in Kapi‘olani Park and organized the Mokuleia Polo Club in 1964. Fred was active in the Hawai‘i Visitors Bureau, Hawai‘i Hotel Association, and Skal.

o Richard Kimball, known as“Kingie,” was a long-serving manager of the Halekulani Hotel, owned and operated by his family for 45 years. He made sure Halekulani lived up to its name as a “house befitting heaven.” After selling the hotel in l962, Richard and brother George built the Waiohai hotel on Kaua‘i. Richard served in the Territorial Legislature from 1936 to 1944, and chaired the territory’s Parks Board for many years.

o Annalie Tatibouet was a successful hotelier in an era when hotel management was almost exclusively a male domain. Born in Honolulu in 1913 and married in 1938 to Joseph Tatibouet, she became manager of Pensacola Gardens, a small property built by her father. She began her own hotel company in 1948 by borrowing money to acquire the fifteen-room Royal Grove in Waikīkī.

For more information on the “Celebrate a Legacy in Tourism” luncheon, contact Frank Haas at the TIM School at 808-956-6609, or go to www.tim.hawaii.edu. RSVP is due by Tuesday, October 20. Proceeds from the luncheon will benefit the TIM School.

The Hawai‘i Hospitality Hall of Fame is a volunteer organization supported by private grants.